Terms of sale
These are the terms you and we both work to when you commission a model. They are written to be read, not to be got past — if anything here is unclear, email us before you order and we will explain it plainly.
Who you are dealing with
ModelWorks Railway is a modelmaking workshop in Christchurch Central, Christchurch 8011, New Zealand. Orders are sold by ModelWorks Railway Limited, and every price on the site is in New Zealand dollars.
By placing an order you confirm you are at least 18 years old and that the details you give us are correct. These terms apply to every order; if we ever agree something different with you, we will put it in writing by email.
How an order is made
You upload one or more photographs, tell us the scale and how many figures you want modelled, and the site prices the job as you go. The total you see before you pay is the total you pay — there are no fees added later.
- Payment is taken by Shopify’s secure checkout. We never see or store your card details.
- Your order is accepted when we email you to confirm it, not when the payment clears. If we cannot take the job on, we say so and refund you in full.
- Before modelling starts we confirm the scale with you. Nothing is cut, printed or posted until that is agreed.
- We may decline an order — for example, if the photograph is not clear enough to model from, or if it is one we should not be reproducing. See “The photographs you send us” below.
The photographs you send us
We can only work from photographs you have the right to give us. When you upload an image you confirm that you own it, or that you have permission from whoever does, and that anyone recognisable in it is happy to be modelled.
You give us permission to use your photograph for one purpose: making your model. We do not sell it, license it to anyone else, or use it to train anything.
We will not accept photographs that are unlawful, that show someone in a way they have not agreed to, or that we consider offensive. If we decline an order for that reason we refund it in full and delete the images.
Showing your commission publicly is opt-in. Nothing you send appears on this website, in our advertising or on social media unless you tell us in writing that we may, and you can withdraw that permission at any time by emailing us.
What you receive
Every order includes a print-ready 3D file of the subject in your photograph: a closed, watertight mesh at the scale you chose, ready to slice for a home printer or a print service.
- Files. Delivered by email or download link, normally within 5 to 10 working days of the scale being confirmed. A single figure is $9; four figures ordered together are $20.
- Resin prints, if you add them. $15 for the first and $8 for each additional print, plus $9 postage inside New Zealand.
- Revisions. If the model does not match the photograph in a way we can reasonably fix, tell us and we will correct it at no charge. Redesigns beyond the original brief — a different pose, an added figure — are quoted as new work.
A model built from a photograph is an interpretation. Detail that the camera never captured — the back of a coat, a face turned away — is modelled sympathetically to match the rest. We will tell you before we start if a photograph is going to make that guesswork significant.
What you may do with the model
The file is yours to keep, print as many times as you like, and use for your own layouts, dioramas and collections. That licence is personal and it does not expire.
It does not include reselling the file, sharing it publicly, or having it printed for sale. If you want to sell prints of a model we made, email us — commercial licences are available and are usually straightforward.
We keep the copyright in the model we build. You keep every right you already had in your photograph.
About the resin prints
Prints are made to order in resin at the scale you chose. They arrive unpainted and cleaned, on or off their supports depending on the part.
Resin at 1:87 is a fine material. Fingers, brake handles and hat brims are fragile by nature — handle them as you would any small scale model. Slight variation between prints of the same file is normal and is not a fault.
Prices, GST and payment
All prices are shown in New Zealand dollars. We are not currently registered for GST, so no GST is charged on your order.
We may change our prices at any time, but never after you have paid: the price you were shown at checkout is the price for that order.
Turnaround times
The times we quote — 5 to 10 working days for a file, 3 to 5 working days to dispatch a print once the file is approved — are honest estimates from a working bench, not guarantees. Detailed subjects and busy weeks take longer.
If your order is going to be late, we email you before the estimate runs out and tell you the new date. If a delay does not suit you, you may cancel and we refund the work not yet done.
Cancelling, refunds and returns
Because every model is made to order, our refund terms differ depending on how far the work has got. They are set out in full on the refunds and returns page, which forms part of these terms.
Your rights under New Zealand law
Nothing in these terms limits your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 or the Fair Trading Act 1986. Goods and services we supply to you as a consumer must be of acceptable quality, fit for purpose and match how we described them — and if they are not, you are entitled to a repair, replacement or refund regardless of anything written here.
If you are buying for a business, the Consumer Guarantees Act does not apply and, to the extent the law allows, our liability for any order is limited to what you paid for it.
Limits of what we are responsible for
We are responsible for the model and the print we supply. We are not responsible for what happens downstream of that — a slicer setting, a failed print on your own machine, or a part broken after it reaches you.
Keep your own copy of the file once we send it. We hold a copy for 12 months, but we cannot promise to hold it forever.
If something goes wrong
Email us first — most problems are sorted the same week. If we cannot agree, these terms are governed by New Zealand law and either of us may take the matter to the Disputes Tribunal or the New Zealand courts.
You can also contact Consumer Protection for free advice about your rights.
Changes to these terms
We update these terms from time to time. The version that applies to your order is the one published on the day you paid, and the date at the top of this page tells you when it last changed.
Answered within one working day.